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Users will be able to find documents and use interactive tools to help them better understand the approved CPS budget for fiscal year 2018. The interactive features allow users to easily click through the budget, drilling into specific budget line details or staying at a high level overview of the District.

Users can view a number of areas of the budget including revenue and debt while also looking at every CPS school and department. Each interactive report generates graphs and charts which will make budget comparisons visual and easier to understand.

Update (10/5/17): The text below reflects the FY18 Original Budget approved by the Board on August 28, 2017. For details on the FY2018 Amended Budget, please see the Interactive Reports Feature on the left-hand toolbar.

Revenue

For CPS’s FY18 budget, the Illinois General Assembly has taken major steps forward to provide Chicago Public Schools with additional revenue.

CPS will be receiving additional revenue streams this year from several sources:

A $221 million State contribution to CPS in the new SB 1 funding formula for the annual cost of Chicago teachers’ pensions, a step toward recognition that Illinois’ teacher pensions must be treated equally;

$71 million additional through the new SB 1 funding formula that is assumed to replace General State Aid.

State funding for early childhood education that will provide CPS with an additional $19 million.

State funding for bilingual education that will provide CPS with an additional $13 million.

This budget also assumes that CPS will receive at least $269 million in local resources to address its remaining budget gap, and is working with the City of Chicago to identify an appropriate source.

However, revenue generation remains a primary financial challenge for CPS because the district has little control over its primary revenue sources.

State funding is set by formula defined in statute, and had been declining year over year until Springfield took action for additional P-12 education funding in FY17. For FY18, the Illinois General Assembly passed additional state revenue that would be distributed through a new funding formula, known as Senate Bill 1. Governor Rauner has vetoed Senate Bill 1, and a resolution for all schools is pending at the time of this publication.

Federal funding is also set by formula and is mostly restricted for supplemental services, such as for low income students, or for specific services, such as food for children. Other than American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus funds in FY09-11, federal revenues have been relatively flat, and declining in FY18 due largely to lower absolute funding levels from the Trump Administration, as well as changing demographics of the District.

Property taxes are the main source of local resources (and the District’s largest single source of revenue overall) and for the most part, are capped at the rate of inflation1. While last year’s reinstatement of the property tax levy for teacher pensions provided a sizeable increase in the District’s property tax revenue, property taxes are otherwise capped by inflation or 5 percent, whichever is lower.

Table 1: All Funds by Revenue Source (in Millions)

FY17 Budget

FY17 End Of Year

FY18 Budget

FY18 vs. FY17 Budget

Local Revenues

Property Tax

2,659.8

2,634.5

2,779.4

119.6

Replacement Tax

188.8

198.8

148.7

(40.1)

Other Local

358.6

328.7

628.6

270.0

Total Local

3,207.3

3,162.0

3,556.7

349.4

State Revenues

GSA

1,059.9

1,057.6

1,746.8

686.9

Capital

14.8

14.8

14.0

(0.8)

Other State

811.3

454.6

315.3

(496.0)

Total State

1,886.0

1,527.0

2,076.1

190.1

Federal

854.7

782.7

813.4

(41.3)

Investment Income

0.0

1.8

1.1

1.1

Total Revenue

5,948.0

5,473.5

6,447.4

499.4

Table 2 illustrates how revenues are used, including for debt service and capital. It also shows the remainder of revenues available for day-to-day operations. While FY18 total revenues are approximately $6.4 billion, only $5.7 billion are available for operations.

Revenue Projections

This section summarizes the District’s major revenue sources and our projected FY18 revenue from each. Additional details about each revenue sources is provided in the Interactive Budget on the CPS budget website: cps.edu/budget.

FY18 operating revenues are budgeted at $5.7 billion, an increase of $362 million from our FY17 budget and $823 million more than our FY17 estimated end of year operating revenues.

Table 3: FY18 Operating Revenues

$ in millions

FY17 Budget

FY17 Estimated End of Year

Variance Estimated vs. Budget

FY18 Budget

FY18 vs. FY17 Budget

Property Tax

2,607.8

2,582.5

(25.3)

2,678.7

70.9

Replacement Tax

130.5

140.6

10.0

90.4

(40.1)

TIF Surplus

87.5

87.9

0.4

22.3

(65.2)

All Other Local

175.6

145.3

(30.3)

461.1

285.5

Total Local

3,001.4

2,956.3

(45.1)

3,252.5

251.1

State

1,375.3

1,141.9

(233.4)

1,654.3

279.0

State Pension Support

123.6

12.1

(111.5)

11.7

(111.9)

Federal

829.8

757.9

(71.9)

773.0

(56.8)

Investment Income

0.0

1.8

1.8

1.1

1.1

Total Revenue

5,330.2

4,870.0

(460.2)

5,692.6

362.4

Local Revenues

Property Taxes

Our FY18 projection for property tax revenue is $2,779 million, of which $96 million is dedicated for debt service and $5 million for capital, resulting in a total of $2,679 million available for operating purposes. This is an increase in operating revenue of $71 million over FY17 Budget. This increase includes $45 million from taxing to the cap, or rate of inflation, on existing and new property. Another $16 million in increase over FY17 Budget is due to property value growth captured by the CPS Pension Levy. Finally, the creation of the new Transit TIF will contribute $10 million in FY18.

Chicago Public Schools is one of a number of school districts whose ability to levy local property taxes is limited by the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL). This law stipulates that the increases in property tax extensions within a district are limited to the lesser of 5 percent or the increase in the national CPI for the year preceding the levy year. New construction falls outside this extension limit and is taxed at the same tax rate as is permitted by the allowable extension increase under PTELL on existing property.

The CPI increase for 2018 property tax extensions (levied in 2017) is 2.1 percent, which is the highest CPI increase since 2011, and is in line with the average annual CPI growth over the last two decades2. As a result, our increase in extensions on existing property for FY18 will be modest, and greater than it has been for the past several years. This recent low growth in property tax revenues has placed even greater pressure on our other major revenue sources in recent years, which make up less than half of total revenue. The reinstated pension levy and its resulting increase in collections helps to alleviate this pressure.

Like other government bodies, CPS has a 60-day revenue recognition period. This generally allows us to recognize revenues received prior to August 29, 2017 as FY18 revenues, and shifts our fiscal year revenues more in line with the year in which property taxes are collected.

Personal Property Replacement Taxes (PPRT)

PPRT revenue is budgeted to decrease from $189 million in FY17 to $149 million in FY18. This includes $58 million set aside for debt service and leaves $90 million for operating purposes. PPRT money being diverted to pay debt service is another example of CPS’ operating budget being negatively impacted by debt costs.

Replacement taxes “replace” money that was lost by local governments when their powers to impose personal property taxes on corporations, partnerships, and other business entities were taken away by state legislation in the 1970’s.

The state collects and distributes PPRT to local taxing districts. Taxing districts in Cook County receive 51.7 percent of collections, which is divided among the County’s taxing bodies based on each district’s share of personal property collections in 1976. CPS receives 27.1 percent of the total Cook County share, which is equivalent to 14.0 percent of the statewide total.

The PPRT includes an additional state income tax on corporations and partnerships, a tax on businesses that sell gas or water, a 0.5 percent fee on all gross charges for telecommunications services excluding wireless services, and a per-kilowatt tax on electricity distributors. The primary driver of PPRT is corporate income tax receipts, which are closely tied to corporate profits.

The decrease in budgeted PPRT revenues is the result of a number of moving pieces. In FY 16, CPS was informed of an error found in the Illinois Department of Revenue’s (IDOR) calculation of the PPRT distribution rate that resulted in the PPRT Fund, and therefore the PPRT recipients (e.g. local governments), being over-allocated corporate income tax revenues in recent years. As a result, local governments were informed their PPRT revenues would be considerably lower going forward, due to the correction of this error. Given this information, CPS budgeted FY 17 revenues $19 million lower than FY 16 Budget, at $189 million. However, IDOR has since implemented a new accounting system which allows for more accurate, and thereby expeditious, allocations of income tax collections to the PPRT Fund. This resulted in actual FY 17 PPRT revenues for CPS being $10 million higher than budgeted, coming in at $199 million at fiscal year-end. This bump in revenue is assumed to be a one-time phenomenon due to the accounting system change. The FY18 Budget reflects an anticipated $50M decrease in PPRT revenues over FY17 actuals, as the bump in FY17 revenues is assumed. This decrease is driven by an anticipated increase in refund rate to clear a backlog of refunds at IDOR, a decline in corporate income tax receipts, and the expiration of the one-time increase due to IDOR accounting system changes in FY 17.

TIF Surplus and Other Local Resources

CPS has received more than $1.3 billion in TIF funds for capital investments in schools throughout the city over the past decade. On top of capital expenditures, Mayor Emanuel is also committed to declaring a surplus of TIF funds each year. In July 2015, the Mayor announced a freeze on new spending in downtown TIF districts, which created an estimated $250 million in additional TIF surplus over five years. In FY16, CPS received a spike in TIF funding because the surplus was greater than expected and some FY15 payments were received in FY16. In FY17, the City declared a larger TIF surplus than was budgeted, resulting in the receipt of $88 million. In FY 18, CPS is anticipating TIF surplus revenues return to a more normal level of $22 million.

“All other local” also includes the pension payment made by the City of Chicago on behalf of CPS employees to the Municipal Employees pension fund (discussed in the Pension chapter) and is estimated to be $51 million in FY 18. It is recorded as revenue as required by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB).

This budget also assumes that CPS will receive at least $269 million in local resources to address its remaining budget gap, and is working with the City of Chicago to identify an appropriate source.

State Revenue

Overview – State Funding Developments
CPS’s main source of state operating revenue, General State Aid (GSA), had been reduced each year since FY09 and had been a major driver of the structural deficit. With the action taken by Springfield in FY17, CPS saw its first increase in state funding since FY09, due to GSA being held harmless, a $29 million increase in early childhood funding, and the inclusion of a new equity grant which provided CPS with an additional $102 million.

The State has established a minimum level of funding called the “foundation level,” and it is designed to ensure that school districts receive a minimum level of funding. However, from FY10 to FY16, the State “prorated” GSA – meaning it provided only a percentage of the minimum level of funding. When the state failed to appropriate enough dollars to fund to this level, it provided only of a percentage of the amount a district would otherwise receive, called “proration.” This GSA formula provides greater resources for those districts with either low property values, a high number or concentration of low-income students, or both. As a result, the proration of these payments would disproportionately affect districts in need, including CPS. As a result of this underfunding and subsequent proration, CPS had lost well over half a billion dollars. In response, in FY17 the state is not prorating GSA and will hold districts’ GSA harmless from enrollment declines.

In addition, the State has for years held the dubious distinction of being the worst state in the country for funding the education of children in poverty. Education experts and national independent advocacy groups have long pointed to Illinois as a state that needs to reform how it funds the education of children in poverty to make it more equitable. Last year, the State recognized the urgent need to reform poverty-related funding, and created an “Equity Grant” of $250 million as a means to provide relief to districts with high concentrations of poverty, until a longer term solution could be reached.

In May 2017, the General Assembly reached that longer term solution by passing Senate Bill 1. SB 1 rewrites the current General State Aid (GSA) school funding formula, which was woefully inept at ensuring children in poverty receive at least as much funding for their education as their wealthy counterparts. This new formula is known as the “Evidence Based Model” (EBM) and, by means testing more resources and providing additional weights to English Learners and impoverished students, drives additional resources to districts in need while avoiding a “winners and losers” scenario by holding each district harmless. In addition, the formula begins to address the pension inequity by picking up CPS teacher pension normal cost (which is approximately two-sevenths of the total required CPS teacher pension contribution). The formula also sunsets the CPS block grant, and recognizes that the remaining five-sevenths of the required CPS pension contribution is not available to be spent on the classroom.

In addition to the lost revenue CPS has experienced via GSA proration, charter schools that were approved by the State Charter Commission receive funding directly from the state which is deducted from what CPS would otherwise receive for state aid. In FY17 the state approved three new charter schools, which diverted another $14 million in GSA from the district, in addition to the $15 million already being diverted by the existing two state-approved charter schools at CPS. Through Charter Commission-authorized enrollment cap increases and anticipated growth under existing caps, CPS is anticipating $8 million more will be diverted in FY 18, for a total of $36 million. The District has made clear that legislation is needed to reform the Charter Commission, and is disputing the Charter Commission’s actions in court.

Chart 1: FY 2018 - State Funding Finally Surpasses FY 09 Level, But Not Enough to Keep Up With Inflation

Funding Source Details
The State has many different mechanisms for funding education in Illinois, including “Evidence Based Funding” (formerly “General State Aid”), pension contributions, categorical grants, block grants and other sources. In FY18, all sources of State education funding are estimated to be $12.9 billion. CPS estimates receiving a total of $2.1 billion in State funds in FY18.

GSA previously represented 13 percent of the District’s total operating revenue. General State Aid consists statutorily of two components—the Equalization Formula Grant and the Supplemental Low-Income Grant (i.e. “Poverty Grant”). In FY17, the state appropriated a new grant to districts throughout the state to account for the greater need for funding for children in poverty, referred to as the “Equity Grant.”

The Equalization Formula Grant is based on the average daily attendance (ADA) at a school and generally on a local district’s ability to fund its own schools. The goal is that state money supplements local resources such that the combination provides a foundation for all students, thereby equalizing funding at districts across the state. The statutory funding level target, or “foundation level,” was $6,119 in FY17 and had been since FY10.

The Poverty Grant is based on the number and concentration of low-income students at a school district. For its calculation of low-income students, the state uses a 3-year average, non-duplicated count of children eligible for Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

For the first time, in FY17 the state appropriated an “Equity Grant” which is supplemental to the GSA Poverty Grant and allocates dollars to districts based on the percentage of statewide Poverty Grant they received in FY16. This provides additional resources to those districts with higher concentrations of low-income students, such as CPS.

In addition, districts request adjustments to prior-year GSA allocations based on property values that were subsequently reduced after successful property tax appeals. CPS expects to receive $16.3 million for FY16 in prior-year adjustments.

Assuming SB 1 becomes law, in FY 18 the new Evidence Based Model will take the place of General State Aid and will also take the place of four other existing grants: (1) Funding for Children Requiring Special Education, (2) Special Education Personnel, (3) Special Education Summer School, and (4) Bilingual Education. By rolling more state funding into a means-tested formula, and by forcing more dollars through that formula to districts with high numbers of English Learners and low-income students, EBM begins to correct the errors of the previous formula.

Total General State Aid/Evidence Based Funding for CPS is projected to increase from the FY17 budget to the FY18 budget by $689 million. This increase is attributable to: $71 million out the $350 million statewide new formula dollars, $221 million for CPS teacher pension normal cost, $203 million in the formula’s hold harmless to offset the lost block grant dollars due to the sunset of that statutory provision, $201 million from rolling in the aforementioned grants, and a $7 million loss for the increased diversion to state-issued charter schools. After netting out the offsetting loss of the grants outside the formula, this is an effective increase in total formula dollars of $292 million ($71 million for general operations and $221 million for pension normal cost).

General Education and Educational Services Block Grants
Prior to SB 1, CPS received two block grants: the General Education Block Grant and Educational Services Block Grant. The grant amounts were computed by multiplying the state appropriation for the programs included in the grant by the Board’s percentage share of those programs in FY95. The General Education Block Grant consisted of grants for early childhood education, truants alternative optional education program (TAOEP), and agricultural education. The Educational Services Block Grant consisted of grants for special education, state free and reduced meals, and pupil transportation.

SB 1 rolls 3 of the grants within the block grants into the EBM funding formula, and leaves 9 of the grants outside of the EBM formula. Instead of receiving a statutorily-define percentage of total appropriation on 8 these grants, CPS will have to submit claims like all other districts. The early childhood block grant will remain in current form outside of the EBM formula whose allocation is defined as a percentage of statewide appropriation. CPS receives the same amount it would otherwise claim for; therefore there is no monetary advantage to the continuation of this provision. CPS does however lose $203 million on the block grant language sunset on the other 8 grants. To make up for this loss and to hold CPS harmless to FY 17, just like all other districts, this $203 million is made up in the aforementioned EBM base funding minimum.

Due to an increase in appropriation for Early Childhood, CPS will see an increase of $11.5 million from FY 17 Budget to FY 18 Budget, for an FY 18 total of $164 million. State revenue for the remaining grants will decrease from FY 17 Budget of $482 million to FY 18 Budget of $90 million, due to both being rolled into the EBM formula and to the loss of the block grant provision.

Other State Revenues
Other state funding includes capital funds and categorical state grants that are not accounted for elsewhere. For example, it includes grants for bilingual education, vocational education, and driver’s education.

While bilingual education funding is being rolled into SB 1, and held harmless at FY 17 levels, CPS will also receive an additional $13 million for a new supplemental state grant that remains outside of the EBM formula. This grant is based on the district’s proportion of previous bilingual education claim amongst other poorly funded districts, as measure by being in Tier 1 or Tier 2 in the EBM formula.
The previous bilingual education grant was based on the number of students in a district receiving five or more class periods of bilingual/English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction per week. The amount of each district's grant was determined by the size of the student population, amount and intensity of bilingual/ESL services received by students, and the grade levels of eligible students. When the statewide total would exceed the appropriation, ISBE would prorate reimbursements.

State Contribution for Capital
Per this statute, CPS receives annual payments of $13.3 million to support construction of new schools, which is reflected in the FY18 budget.

Federal Revenues

Overview
Most federal grants require the Board to provide supplemental educational services for children from low-income or non-English speaking families or for neglected and delinquent children from preschool through 12th grade. These grants are dedicated to specific purposes and cannot supplant local programs. Medicaid reimbursement and Impact Aid are the only federal funding that is without any restriction.

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) (also referred to as No Child Left Behind)

Title I-A – Low Income: Allocated based on a district’s poverty count, this is the largest grant received under the Every Student Succeeds Act. The grant allows the district to provide supplemental programs to improve the academic achievement of low-income students. For FY18, CPS estimates that Title I will be received at $233 million. This includes an anticipated reduction of $17 million in the formula-based Title I grant from FY17 to FY18. The anticipated total grant award for FY18 is $255 million, which includes allowable carryover of $22 million from the previous year.

Title I-A – School Improvement Grant 1003(a): This grant provides services for underperforming Title I schools to improve the overall academic achievement of their students. The State utilizes Title I funds to carry out its system of technical assistance and support for local educational agencies. The current award will stay level at $4 million for FY18.

Title I-A – School Improvement Grants 1003(g): School Improvement Grants help ensure that all students have reading and math skills at grade level. The total amount available for FY18 is estimated at $5 million under these grants. A reduction of $10 million in funding from FY17 is due to no new grants being awarded and grant expiration in FY18.

Title I-D – Neglected/Delinquent: This grant targets the improvement of educational services for neglected or delinquent children and youth in local and state institutions to assist them in attaining State academic achievement standards. Programs include academic tutoring, counseling and other curricular activities. The anticipated allocation and carryover for FY18 will be $2.2 million, which includes a $200,000 increase from FY7.

Title II-A – Improving Teacher Quality: Class size reduction, recruitment and training, mentoring and other support services to improve teacher quality are funded through this grant. Due to a Federal level cut to the overall grant of 25%, CPS is anticipating a reduction of $9 million from FY17 to FY18 allocation. CPS anticipates a total of $31 million to be awarded for the FY18 Title II-A grant, which includes a current award of $25 with an estimated $6 million in carryover from the previous year.

Title III-A – Language Acquisition: Funding is provided to support students with limited English proficiency who meet eligibility requirements. The total funding available for the Language Acquisition grant is budgeted at $12 million for FY18, which comprises the estimated current-year allocation of $8 million and carryover of $4 million. This includes a reduction of $1 million from FY17 that is due to less funding being carried over from the previous year.

Title IV-B – 21st Century Community Learning Centers: These grants provide opportunities for communities to establish schools as community learning centers and provide activities after-school and evening hours. For FY18, CPS estimates grant awards of $3 million, which includes a reduction of $3 million from FY17 that is due to the expiration of one of the 21st Century grants.

Title VII-A – Indian Education: Funds from this grant are used to meet educational and culturally-related academic needs of American Indian and Alaska Native students. Funds are expected to decrease from $239,000 to $204,142 for FY18.

Title VIII – Impact Aid: This grant offsets lost revenue from federal acquisition of real property. The Impact Aid is expected to stay flat year-over-year at $100,000 in FY18.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

IDEA grants provide supplemental funds for special education and related services to all children with disabilities from ages 3 through 21.

The IDEA grants include a number of programs.

IDEA Part B Flow-Through: This is the largest IDEA grant, which is allocated based on a formula established by the state. The estimated award for the FY18 flow-through formula grant totals $92 million. No carryover funding is available due to the FY17 allocation being fully spent.

IDEA Room & Board: This grant provides room and board reimbursement for students attending facilities outside of Chicago and is estimated at $2.5 million.

Part B Preschool: This grant offers both formula and competitive grants for special education programs for children ages 3-5 with disabilities. CPS is expected to receive $1.4 million from the formula grant and $489,250 from a competitive grant for FY18.

Including small competitive grants and carryover from the previous year in the preschool grant, total IDEA funding equals $96 million in FY18.

National School Lunch Program & Child and Adult Care Food Program

CPS offers breakfast, lunch, after school supper, after school snacks, Head Start snacks for afternoon classes during the school year, and serves breakfast and lunch during summer school.

Starting in 2012 CPS opted to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision program. All schools now are part of this program, which provides all students a free lunch regardless of income eligibility. CPS is reimbursed for all lunch meals at the maximum free reimbursement rate under the National School Lunch Program.

CPS’s school breakfast programs provide breakfast in the classroom free of charge to all students regardless of income.

In addition, the USDA reimburses for free after school meals and free Head Start snacks under the Child and Adult Care Food Program and provides donated commodities based on the number of prior year lunches served.

Federal reimbursements are projected to decrease from $209 million in FY17 to $203 million in FY18 due to a decrease in enrollment. These revenues include:

$132 million from school lunches

$48 million from breakfast programs

$15 million of donated food from the U.S. Department of Agriculture

$8 million of after school meals and Head Start Snacks

Medicaid Reimbursement

CPS provides a variety of services to students with disabilities such as speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, mental health service and special transportation. CPS qualifies for Medicaid reimbursement for these covered services to eligible students and the costs of administrative outreach activities.

These services are frequently specified as necessary related services in individual education programs (IEP) developed by schools for children with disabilities. When these services are provided under a child's IEP and that child is enrolled in Medicaid, the services are eligible for federal Medicaid reimbursement, at the state’s reimbursement rate, approximately half of the established cost to provide the service.

Schools may also claim some costs for the administration of the program. Allowable administrative claims include outreach activities designed to ensure that the entire student community has access to Medicaid covered programs and services, as well as costs incurred for implementing and monitoring the Illinois state Medicaid plan.

Medicaid revenues in FY18 are expected to be $41.8 million. Medicaid enrollment within the district has declined since 2014; this decline is the largest contributing factor to the decline in Medicaid revenue. In an effort combat lost revenue CPS is pursuing initiatives to increase Medicaid enrollment (see Student Health & Wellness narrative), reduce the number of denied claims, and more accurately report services provided at schools.

Other Federal Grants

Other Federal Grants include competitive grants for other specific purposes. Below is a brief description of major grants under this category:

Head Start: The United States Department of Health and Human Services provides funds for the Head Start program, which focuses on educating children from birth to 5 years old who are in low-income families. The program provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition and parent involvement services to these children. CPS Head Start programs are funded through the City of Chicago. CPS anticipates receiving $41 million for the FY18 Head Start program.

Carl D. Perkins: This grant was established to develop academic and technical skills for career opportunities, specific job training and occupational retraining. This grant targets students in secondary and postsecondary education. The FY18 Perkins formula grant is anticipated at $6.2 million with an estimated rollover of $247,690.

In FY17 CPS has budgeted to receive a direct federal subsidy payment of $25 million for these two types of federally-subsidized bonds. This amount takes into consideration an allowance assumption of 7.5% for federal sequestration and has not changed from our FY16 assumptions. See the Debt Management chapter for more information.

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Chicago Public Schools is the third largest school district in the United States with more than 600 schools and serves 371,000 children. Our vision is that every student in every neighborhood will be engaged in a rigorous, well-rounded instructional program and will graduate prepared for success in college, career and life.